Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially submitted his nomination for the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday morning. This came after an extravagant six-kilometer roadshow the previous evening, accompanied by senior leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies. Among those present were BJP President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
Key alliance partners in attendance included Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary, Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan, Apna Dal (Sonelal) head Anupriya Patel, and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party leader Om Prakash Rajbhar.
On the morning of filing his papers, Modi visited the iconic Dashashwamedh Ghat and prayed at the banks of the Ganges, accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He also visited the Kaal Bhairav Temple, remarking, “My relationship with my Kashi is amazing, inseparable, and incomparable… it cannot be expressed in words!”
Modi shared his feelings, saying, “I am overwhelmed and emotional! I can’t believe how quickly ten years have passed with your love. Today, Maa Ganga has embraced me.”
Following the filing, Modi proceeded to the Rudraksh Convention Centre to interact with party workers. After Monday’s roadshow, he reflected, “The love and blessings my family members of Kashi showed during the roadshow became an unforgettable moment in my life.”
Modi is running for a third consecutive term from this BJP stronghold, which has seen the party win the seat eight times since 1991, with only Congress’s RK Mishra managing to break the streak in 2004. Varanasi is set to cast its votes on June 1, during the seventh and final phase of the election. In the 2019 election, Modi won by nearly 480,000 votes, a significant increase from his 372,000-vote margin in 2014.
In the 2014 election, Varanasi witnessed a high-profile contest between Modi and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who secured just over 20% of the votes. This time, Modi’s main opponent is Congress’s Ajay Rai, who garnered 152,000 votes in 2019, achieving a vote share of 7.04%.
The demographic composition of Varanasi includes approximately 75% Hindus and 20% Muslims. About 10% of the population belongs to Scheduled Tribes, while only 0.7% are from Scheduled Castes. The rural-urban split of the population stands at 65% to 35%.
The BJP is also aiming for a third consecutive term, targeting over 370 seats (400+ with allies). Modi has led the party’s campaign with strong criticisms of the Congress-led opposition, including controversial remarks about Muslims that received widespread condemnation and cautious reprimands from the Election Commission. The poll panel issued notices to BJP chief JP Nadda and, following complaints, also to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
In March, when announcing the dates of the seven-phase election, the Election Commission warned politicians against crossing the “red line” during their campaigns. The poll panel reminded political parties that it was their responsibility to ensure their star campaigners adhered to the guidelines.
